Most persons find it desirable and healthful to bath on a regular basis. For some individuals, however, problems are encountered when attempting to dry various portions of their bodies after bathing. These problems are especially true with respect to invalids, the elderly and other physically challenged persons, where personal mobility is often restricted. Those portions of their bodies creating the greatest challenges are often the feet.
The inability to adequately dry one's feet often creates adverse health consequences beyond the consequences of discomfort. For example, various fungal infestations tend to thrive in the presence of moisture, and are often encouraged by the lack of proper drying of the feet. Thus, the inability of many persons to adequately dry their feet is of considerable importance.
Devices for drying or removing moisture after bathing have long been available. Indeed, the use, for example, of heated air hand dryers in public rest rooms has greatly contributed to sanitation and maintenance benefits. Such devices, however, are inappropriate for drying portions of the human body other than the hands.
Other devices developed for drying other body portions exist. One such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,958 to Lepage, which discloses a body towel device for overall body drying. However, no foot drying feature is disclosed or suggested.
Devices for drying articles of clothing, such as footwear, and exist, but are undesirable toward the objectives of the present invention for one or more reasons. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,764 to Cerny discloses a device having a planar surface on which wet articles of clothing may be placed. Air is directed upwardly through openings in the planar surface to accelerate the drying process. This patent does not disclose or suggest application to drying feet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,850 to Terng-Shuh contemplates a foot sole drying device, wherein a pair of air dryers generate an air current upwardly through a wire mesh to the user's feet and legs. However, no disclosure or suggestion is made of a device upon which an individual may conventionally and safely stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,182 to Fishman et al. discloses a body drier having a raised platform upon which a person may stand and through which heated air is upwardly directed through apertures. However, due to the raised platform necessitated by the upwardly drafted fan, the step-up device may not be appropriate for those persons most in need of assisted foot drying.
Moreover, the latter three devices all provide an upwardly directed airflow, that is, toward the sole of the user's foot. Thus, a large portion of the airflow passes by the user's foot and performs no useful function. Further, the upper regions of the foot are not effectively within the airflow path and thus remain wet even after the drying process.